1. Field of the Invention
The invention pertains to an opto-mechanical device to control the direction of visible beams of light by means of movable optically-functioning components such as movable mirrors, mirror wheels and the like, by which an incident light beam is deflected in a desired direction.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many different principles and methods are known and in use in order to control the direction of beams of visible light. An overview of the most important methods, along with data pertaining thereto, such as purchase price, deflection angle, optical aperture, resolution ability and deflection frequency is given in Table 1. With the exception of the first three devices, all of the other devices are associated with opto-mechanical beam deflectors. Such opto-mechanical beam deflectors all have the common feature that light beams are deflected directly by a movement of mirrors, prisms, grates and the like in the desired direction. Known devices such as these are very sensitive to disturbances, and are particularly sensitive to mechanical fluctuations of the movable optical components, both in the direction of movement and perpendicular to the axes of their rotation. Such fluctuations lead to corresponding errors in beam deflection. Known apparatus is also ill-suited for special-purpose applications, causing correspondingly high expenditures when such applications are required.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide an opto-mechanical device to control the direction of optical beams of light by means of movable optical components which are less sensitive to mechanical disturbances, which are of the simplest possible construction, and which have optimal resolution capability in addition to general usefulness both for ordinary applications and special-purpose applications.